Platinum Metals Review - Volume 43, Issue 3, 1999

The oxidations of alcohols to aldehydes and ketones are vital reactions in synthetic organic chemistry, and high selectivity and mild conditions are important prerequisites for ease of product work-up and lower cost. Currently, many of the best oxidants for these conversions contain high valent ruthenium, with ruthenium acting as a catalyst for these reactions. It is important to have detailed knowledge and understanding of the mechanisms of the oxidation reactions and the factors that influence them, as only by completely understanding how these processes work will it be possible to design better or optimal catalysts. In this paper, the more viable oxidants currently available are reported and some investigations into the mechanisms of the reactions and factors affecting them are discussed.

Volatile organic compounds, VOCs, are used in a number of industrial processes in a variety of roles, for instance as solvents, cleaners and liquid fuels. During these processes, some of the VOCs, which are known to be air toxins, inevitably escape into the surrounding air. It is the release of this VOC-laden air into the atmosphere that is partly responsible for stratospheric ozone depletion, tropospheric ozone increase, global warming (the Greenhouse Effect) and some health problems. Here, we briefly review some applications of platinum metals catalysts in the abatement of VOCs and in the conversion of methane using cold-plasma techniques. Some information on the abatement of acid gases, the generation and application of non-thermal plasmas is also presented.

Johann Wolfgang Döbereiner, born in 1780, was the Professor of Chemistry and Technology at the University of Jena, from 1810 to 1849. During this time he observed the action of platinum black on hydrogen, which led to his invention of the pneumatic gas lighter (Feuerzeug) and to Berzelius’concept of catalysis, besides making other contributions to pure and applied chemistry. On the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of his death in 1849 a Feslkolloquium was held to commemorate his work at the Friedrich-Schiller- University of Jena. Here we describe some aspects of his life and work.